Application of (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging in diagnosing bladder tumor metastasis lesions

Bladder tumor is the most common malignant tumor in urinary system and always companied with lymph node metastasis. The accurate staging plays a significant role in treatment for bladder tumor and prognostic evaluation, and the distant metastasis predicts worse prognosis. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical significance of (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging in diagnosing bladder tumor metastasis lesions. A retrospective analysis of 60 patients with bladder tumor from October 2008 to May 2010 was done. The patients were stratified based on the imaging technique. Among all 60 cases, besides the primary lesion, 81 suspected lesions were spotted and 73 confirmed as metastasis, including 50 lymph node metastases, 22 distant metastases, and 1 bone metastasis. For PET/CT imaging, its sensitivity was 94.5%, specificity 87.5%, positive predictive value 98.6%, negative predictive value 63.6% and accuracy 93.8% respectively. For CT, its sensitivity was 82.2%, specificity 50%, positive predictive value 93.8%, negative predictive value 23.5% and accuracy 79% respectively. PET/CT imaging was superior to CT in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. In conclusion, (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging is more significant in diagnosing bladder tumor metastasis lesions.